October 1, 2013 at 16:27Start loop: launch payload into orbit for $ 3 / kg
UPD3: for a day “pseudo-collected” $ 1,000,000 and more than 500 who want to fly into space
“A planet is a cradle of reason, but you cannot live forever in a cradle.” Tsiolkovsky
Dear readers, I bring to your attention an idea that is really worth spreading and implementing.
In the comments to the post “ 3d printer will print space structures directly in orbit ” I first saw the mention of the “ launch loop ” technology.
I was struck by the fact that this is a complete (that is, it does not require resources that are not yet available, like ultra-strong materials) technology, Unlike other technologies of rocket-free space launch .
The only thing that is missing is the demand for this service.
TTX "Loops"
Overload level - 3g
Amount of cargo per year - 6.000.000 tons (six million tons)
Launch frequency - 80 launches per hour
Payback - 5 years
Installation cost - $ 30 billion (Sochi 2014 budget - 950+ billion rubles proof )
Cost of withdrawal to orbit 1 kg payload - $ 3 (three dollars per kilogram)
Link to the article on Wikipedia with a detailed description of the project
the existing problems in the field of space launches
currently, there are 2 classes of problems - is overloading and strength of materials. Giant overloads are inherent in
cannon technology ( gun , catapult , slingatron ) .
For " elevators ", " fountains ", " trams , bridges " you need unrealistically strong and at the same time light materials, because the size of the structures should be tens of thousands of kilometers and at the same time vertically oriented.
Well, yes, an ordinary rocket and an orbital plane are expensive (the cost of withdrawing 1 kg is about $ 4,000).
The start loop gracefully circumvents these difficulties.
(Starting loop (not scaled). The red line is the moving loop itself, the blue lines are stabilization cables. The objects are centimeter in cross section. The whole structure is invisible from a distance)
First, it is “wider than tall” (2000 km in length and 80 km in height) and does not require heavy-duty materials.
Secondly, it allows you to launch ships weighing up to 5 tons using electromagnetic acceleration, both in low Earth orbit and beyond. Acceleration is carried out on a flat section of the cable, which is located outside the dense atmosphere.
So, what do we have:
- a loop can be built now, using available materials, energy and technology
- a loop is more environmentally friendly than current missiles
- a loop has a high level of safety
- acceptable economic indicators
- comfortable conditions for people to fly (only 3g overload and no radiation hazard)
To Do list from the official site (I will be grateful for the translation) I
invite you to a discussion, write your ideas, suggestions in the comments.
Presentation of the project in English from the ISDC2002 conference.
Materials from the 2009 conference.
Project website - http://launchloop.com
“We must move deep into the Universe. This is the only way humanity will save itself from earthly wars and politics. Become an astronaut and embark on a space journey to find God within yourself. ”Ray Bradbury
P.S. article with some calculations trendclub.ru/blogs/space_future/7119
(UPD: disclaimer from the author of the article http://habrahabr.ru/post/196616/ )
P.P.S. Or maybe this is an acceptable option for waste disposal?
“A planet is a cradle of reason, but you cannot live forever in a cradle.” Tsiolkovsky
Dear readers, I bring to your attention an idea that is really worth spreading and implementing.
In the comments to the post “ 3d printer will print space structures directly in orbit ” I first saw the mention of the “ launch loop ” technology.
I was struck by the fact that this is a complete (that is, it does not require resources that are not yet available, like ultra-strong materials) technology, Unlike other technologies of rocket-free space launch .
The only thing that is missing is the demand for this service.
TTX "Loops"
Overload level - 3g
Amount of cargo per year - 6.000.000 tons (six million tons)
Launch frequency - 80 launches per hour
Payback - 5 years
Installation cost - $ 30 billion (Sochi 2014 budget - 950+ billion rubles proof )
Cost of withdrawal to orbit 1 kg payload - $ 3 (three dollars per kilogram)
Link to the article on Wikipedia with a detailed description of the project
the existing problems in the field of space launches
currently, there are 2 classes of problems - is overloading and strength of materials. Giant overloads are inherent in
cannon technology ( gun , catapult , slingatron ) .
For " elevators ", " fountains ", " trams , bridges " you need unrealistically strong and at the same time light materials, because the size of the structures should be tens of thousands of kilometers and at the same time vertically oriented.
Well, yes, an ordinary rocket and an orbital plane are expensive (the cost of withdrawing 1 kg is about $ 4,000).
The start loop gracefully circumvents these difficulties.
(Starting loop (not scaled). The red line is the moving loop itself, the blue lines are stabilization cables. The objects are centimeter in cross section. The whole structure is invisible from a distance)
First, it is “wider than tall” (2000 km in length and 80 km in height) and does not require heavy-duty materials.
Secondly, it allows you to launch ships weighing up to 5 tons using electromagnetic acceleration, both in low Earth orbit and beyond. Acceleration is carried out on a flat section of the cable, which is located outside the dense atmosphere.
So, what do we have:
- a loop can be built now, using available materials, energy and technology
- a loop is more environmentally friendly than current missiles
- a loop has a high level of safety
- acceptable economic indicators
- comfortable conditions for people to fly (only 3g overload and no radiation hazard)
To Do list from the official site (I will be grateful for the translation) I
invite you to a discussion, write your ideas, suggestions in the comments.
Presentation of the project in English from the ISDC2002 conference.
Materials from the 2009 conference.
Project website - http://launchloop.com
“We must move deep into the Universe. This is the only way humanity will save itself from earthly wars and politics. Become an astronaut and embark on a space journey to find God within yourself. ”Ray Bradbury
Why does mankind need space? (Articles and video)
Russian reporter of “10 ideas about space”
RIA Novosti Why does a person need space?
Alexander Onoprienko Why to a person in Space
Thoughts of Sergey Pereslegin:
Article “In the cradle. Space as an Opportunity of Salvation »
Speech at TEDx
Space as thinking
To the day of cosmonautics. Pereslegin: why is space needed?
Systems Engineering Against Space
“Space: funny and gloomy results”
"... people are idiots. They did a lot of stupid things: they came up with costumes for dogs, the position of an advertising manager and things like the IPhone, without getting anything in return but a sour aftertaste. But if we developed science, mastered the Moon, Mars, Venus ... Who knows , what would the world be like then? Mankind has been given the opportunity to surf the cosmos, but it wants to engage in consumption: drink beer and watch TV shows. "
Ray Bradbury
RIA Novosti Why does a person need space?
Why is Stephen King afraid of Russians?
“For the first time I experienced horror - genuine horror, and not a meeting with demons or ghosts living in my imagination - on one October day in 1957. I just turned ten. And, as expected, I was in the cinema - at the Stratford Theater in downtown Stratford, Connecticut.
One of my favorite films was on, and it was quite appropriate that they showed it, not Western Randolph Scott or the action movie John Wayne. That Saturday afternoon, when genuine horror fell upon me, there was Hugh Marlowe's “Earth vs. the Flying Saucers”.
And just at that moment, when in the last part of the film the aliens were preparing for an attack on the Capitol, the tape stopped. The screen went blank. And the film did not tear - they just turned off the projector. And then something unheard of happened: a light was lit in the hall. We sat looking around and blinking from the bright light, like moles. The manager stepped on the stage and raised his hand, asking for silence - a completely unnecessary gesture. I remembered this moment six years later, in 1963, on November Friday, when the guy who drove us home from school said that the president was shot dead in Dallas. ...
We sat on chairs like mannequins and looked at the manager. He looked alarmed and painful - or maybe it was the fault of the lighting. We wondered what a catastrophe caused him to stop the film at the most tense moment, but then the manager spoke, and the trembling in his voice confused us even more.
“I want to inform you,” he began, “that the Russians have launched a satellite into orbit around the Earth.” They called him ... "companion."
The message was greeted with absolute, grave silence.
I remember very clearly: the terrible dead silence of the cinema was suddenly broken by a lone cry; I don’t know if it was a boy or a girl, the voice was full of tears and frightened anger: “Let's show a movie, liar!”
The manager did not even look in the direction from which the voice came, and for some reason it was the worst of all. That was the proof. The Russians were ahead of us in space. Somewhere above our heads, a squeaking triumphantly, an electronic ball is rushing, designed and launched behind an iron curtain. Neither Captain Midnight, nor Richard Carlson (who played in Riders to the Stars, god, what a bitter irony) could stop him.
He flew up there ... and they called him "companion." The manager stood still for a moment, looking at us; He seemed to be looking for something else to add, but he could not find it. Then he left, and soon the film resumed. ”
“For the first time I experienced horror - genuine horror, and not a meeting with demons or ghosts living in my imagination - on one October day in 1957. I just turned ten. And, as expected, I was in the cinema - at the Stratford Theater in downtown Stratford, Connecticut.
One of my favorite films was on, and it was quite appropriate that they showed it, not Western Randolph Scott or the action movie John Wayne. That Saturday afternoon, when genuine horror fell upon me, there was Hugh Marlowe's “Earth vs. the Flying Saucers”.
And just at that moment, when in the last part of the film the aliens were preparing for an attack on the Capitol, the tape stopped. The screen went blank. And the film did not tear - they just turned off the projector. And then something unheard of happened: a light was lit in the hall. We sat looking around and blinking from the bright light, like moles. The manager stepped on the stage and raised his hand, asking for silence - a completely unnecessary gesture. I remembered this moment six years later, in 1963, on November Friday, when the guy who drove us home from school said that the president was shot dead in Dallas. ...
We sat on chairs like mannequins and looked at the manager. He looked alarmed and painful - or maybe it was the fault of the lighting. We wondered what a catastrophe caused him to stop the film at the most tense moment, but then the manager spoke, and the trembling in his voice confused us even more.
“I want to inform you,” he began, “that the Russians have launched a satellite into orbit around the Earth.” They called him ... "companion."
The message was greeted with absolute, grave silence.
I remember very clearly: the terrible dead silence of the cinema was suddenly broken by a lone cry; I don’t know if it was a boy or a girl, the voice was full of tears and frightened anger: “Let's show a movie, liar!”
The manager did not even look in the direction from which the voice came, and for some reason it was the worst of all. That was the proof. The Russians were ahead of us in space. Somewhere above our heads, a squeaking triumphantly, an electronic ball is rushing, designed and launched behind an iron curtain. Neither Captain Midnight, nor Richard Carlson (who played in Riders to the Stars, god, what a bitter irony) could stop him.
He flew up there ... and they called him "companion." The manager stood still for a moment, looking at us; He seemed to be looking for something else to add, but he could not find it. Then he left, and soon the film resumed. ”
Alexander Onoprienko Why to a person in Space
Thoughts of Sergey Pereslegin:
Article “In the cradle. Space as an Opportunity of Salvation »
Speech at TEDx
Space as thinking
To the day of cosmonautics. Pereslegin: why is space needed?
Systems Engineering Against Space
“Space: funny and gloomy results”
"... people are idiots. They did a lot of stupid things: they came up with costumes for dogs, the position of an advertising manager and things like the IPhone, without getting anything in return but a sour aftertaste. But if we developed science, mastered the Moon, Mars, Venus ... Who knows , what would the world be like then? Mankind has been given the opportunity to surf the cosmos, but it wants to engage in consumption: drink beer and watch TV shows. "
Ray Bradbury
Inspirational space movies
P.S. article with some calculations trendclub.ru/blogs/space_future/7119
(UPD: disclaimer from the author of the article http://habrahabr.ru/post/196616/ )
P.P.S. Or maybe this is an acceptable option for waste disposal?
Only registered users can participate in the survey. Please come in.
How much will you contribute when the project appears on KickStarter?
- 20.6% 5 $ - for a great idea 429
- 17.9% $ 20 - T-shirt 373
- 49.3% $ 300 - a ticket to fly into space a year after the construction of Loop 1023
- 5.4% 1.000 $ - ticket for a space flight from the 2nd month to the 11th month after construction 112
- 0.5% $ 5,000 - first month flight ticket 12
- 6% 10.000 $ - ticket for the first flight 125